When Crows Tick On Windows [Rhys]

[juniper minerva mcgonagall]

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June 11th, 2021

When she came home from work, a small golden envelope sat inside the mailbox, wax-stamped with the seal of Gringotts. Three weeks. That was how long it had been since Rhys received his suspension with little to no communication from his employers. Not for the lack of trying, she supposed. The bank moved at a snail's pace, really only ever worried in making and retaining money. Juniper had a sinking feeling already forming in the pit of her stomach as she snatched the letter out, which had been neatly folded between the afternoon edition of the Daily Prophet. She wasn't sure whether she was pissed off all over again at Rhys, or upset at the bank for taking so long. In reality, it was most likely a combination of both. What he had done was beyond stupid and he knew better. Merlin, he had Saffron there supposedly reeling him in and he still went off. She couldn't be too mad at her friend for not fully restraining Rhys because that would have only made it worse, but letting him punch it out with a group of thugs wasn't it either.

And then there was the gap of time where the bank wouldn't say what the suspension was for, or for how long, and Rhys couldn't tell her what even caused the fight in the first place. Rather, he refused to elaborate on it beyond grumbling. Then there was his attitude towards all of it, and she was honestly getting sick of it. She thought they had an understanding that they needed to communicate with one another when something was wrong. That had been one of her problems the previous year, yet she managed to be an adult and finally talk about her misgivings towards his career choice. Now here he was, having assaulted some Ministry employees kid, potentially out of a job, and acting like a drunk child. She'd cooled off a bit this past week, but now that it was the weekend again and she had the letter in her hands, it all came rushing back.

Stomping up to their apartment, Juniper made no attempt to be quiet as she entered. She only saw Rhys out of the corner of her eye, sitting on the couch, and tossed the letter in his direction. He could read it on his own first and then decide if it was time to tell her fully about what happened. Maybe he'd have to find a new job. She used to get a slight pang of guilt whenever she thought about him not getting jobs from the bank because he enjoyed it so much, despite her feelings on it. But now she hoped it was a termination letter. If he was going to be a hothead and start wailing on people, being on the job wasn't safe for him anymore. Even she knew that. Giving him space to read whatever was inside, she silently went to their bedroom to deposit her work bag.

rhys alexander greyback ● 499 ● Song by Artist

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[rhys alexander greyback]

and its time we saw a miracle

come on, its time for something biblical

June 11, 2021
juniper minerva mcgonagall

Rhys had slept most of the day away, waking up sometime after noon. That wasn’t uncommon in the first few days back home from a job or lengthy training. But it was very odd for Rhys when it went on for a few weeks. Not to mention the lingering headache from another late night of whiskey. Sharp was in town for a bit as a younger sibling graduated from Hogwarts. A thought that always brought him back to Juniper. With a heavy sigh, he closed his eyes, ignoring the stabbing pain near his temple and the pressure behind his eye. Magic hadn’t entirely found the cure for migraine, but this hangover potion would help dull some of it.

The door opened loudly, and Rhys heard the sound of keys and footsteps. He only opened his eyes when something landed in his lap. A letter—but not just any letter. Rhys recognized the envelope and a particular shade of gold. His heart rate must have doubled, and Rhys held the small envelope in his fingers for a few moments rather than tear it open. For all he knew, this was his dismissal or perhaps the opposite. Now that his brain was on high alert and his senses heightened, he could hear movement in the bedroom from Juniper. Things had primarily been tense with the occasional normal moment, but it’d also been a busy time of the year for her at the Ministry.

She persisted in questioning the incident, and Rhys tried to get her to drop it, but that was futile. Why couldn’t she trust him on this? Why did she need the details? It wasn’t as if Rhys didn’t know he fucked up. Standing slowly, he felt stiff as his body wanted to resist. Sitting around wasn’t good when he was used to being far more active. Carefully he lifted the wax seal and pulled the folded parchment out. For whatever reason, Rhys couldn’t stop his hands from trembling as he handled the material. The header stood out, the grand and embellished logo of Gringotts Bank.

’Dear Mr. Greyback,’ It began. Inadvertently, he began to hold his breath as his eyes passed over the written words. And Rhys’ heart seemed to rise and fall at the same moment. This didn’t make sense. ’Gringotts Bank has concluded its investigation…cleared…but cannot reinstate you at this time.” And it continued for a few more sentences on pending auxiliary investigation at the behest of Stump. ”Fuck.” Rhys cursed under his breath. Furrowing his brow in confusion, Rhys looked over the letter again, even as the pain increased in his skull. The bank had cleared him. Rhys was in the clear, but he still couldn’t work. ”Fucking red tape…” Rhys dropped the letter on the coffee table and strode into the kitchen to find himself a glass and whiskey. Stump or Stump Sr was laying siege to Rhys’ career. As the fury grew in his chest, Rhys found his hands weren’t shaking anymore.

The Ministry never involved itself in these issues, let alone create a bureaucratic nightmare where it didn’t belong. This fucking would be happening to him. And so his career seemed doomed to remain in limbo. Rhys felt it all slipping away. A reality he desperately avoided began to sink in, and he leaned against the counter as if to brace himself. What was he supposed to do now?

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[juniper minerva mcgonagall]

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Work had become increasingly exhausting over the last several weeks with end of term exams rolling in, her department solely responsible for writing, proctoring, and grading everything. Not to mention the weird characters that had been hanging around her office lately, who had plenty of inquiring questions about Rhys. Juniper assumed they were goons of the Stump fellow that her boyfriend's fist made friends with, and working on daddy's dollar. No one needed to tell her that this was some sort of political hit job going on - that much had been clear since the start. Target the werewolf cursebreaker, get him a little angry while he was already drunk, brawl it out, and then have a go at his job. She was upset at that, obviously, but nearly as much as she was disappointed in Rhys for not being able to keep his cool. Whatever had been said to precipitate all of this could not have been worth it. Not after all the time and effort he'd put into getting this job.

After shaking off anything Ministry related, Juniper paused for a few moments at the doorway to the bedroom, standing just inside so she couldn't see Rhys or the couch. He could read the letter on his own and decide if it was time to share or not. Ultimately, this was probably going to decide his future, or at the very least, his next steps. It wasn't until she saw him walking into the kitchen that she slunk back out into the living room, spotting the opened letter on the coffee table. The distinctive clink of the glass he liked to use for his whiskey could be heard, and Juniper didn't hesitate to pick the letter up and read it for herself. This concerned her just as much as it did him at this point. And if he was going to keep drinking like he was on a warpath, than she deserved to gleam a little more information on the entire situation.

She was surprised that he actually still had a job, her eyes scanning the sickeningly formal letter quickly for key words. It reeked of Ministry bureaucracy with a hint of Gringotts sprinkled on top. Some lawyer had worked for both institutions during their career. Reading through it a second time to make sure her brain wasn't putting imaginary words onto the letter to ease the stress she'd been going through, Juniper collapsed onto the couch. She supposed they needed to talk about what this meant and what was next. Again. Maybe if she pushed the topic, he'd finally let on about what made him do it in the first place.

rhys alexander greyback ● 444 ● Song by Artist

MADE BY VEL OF GS + ADOX 2.0

[rhys alexander greyback]

and its time we saw a miracle

come on, its time for something biblical

June 11, 2021
juniper minerva mcgonagall

Somehow Rhys felt more exhausted than at any point during his training, where his insomnia wouldn’t let him rest despite all the physical activity of the job. Since Saffron had stunned him in desperation, Rhys had been unable to relax. At first, Juniper tried to understand and be supportive, but Rhys quickly wore down her patience. He couldn’t even deny that part. It was like he couldn’t stop his actions despite watching it all happen, like he was merely observing a scene. And he was just so angry. Like he was that teenage boy on his weekly visit to the Hospital Wing, not for wolfsbane but to heal from another hallway brawl with a bully.

That part was ironic, as the timing of certain events had brought the pair together in a way that founded their entire relationship. Rhys poured half a glass, exhaling heavily before drinking it all in one go. As a Cursebreaker, he was trained to think and be prepared to react and never get caught off guard. But he didn’t know what to do now. Running a hand over his face, Rhys could feel the stubble he hadn’t bothered with because it was too much effort. What a mess he must have seemed like.

Rhys returned to the living room, where he spotted Juniper with the letter. Part of him wished she hadn’t seen it, but it saved him the effort of explaining the change in his predicament. He didn’t sit down, however, opting to lean against a wall with his arms crossed so he could better face the couch. “Stump’s out for blood.” Rhys spoke. While his tone was mostly calm, there was a hint of bitterness. “Almost makes me miss Bagman.” He added flatly. Getting picked up and thrown into a suit of armor was far less painful than what he was experiencing now.

But Rhys felt himself bracing again. It had been, what? A whole week since Juniper had prodded him with questions? Even Saff had physically (tried) to kick Rhys into telling her, but the mere thought of those words made Rhys’ blood boil all over again. There was no way in hell he would repeat that, even if he wanted to. If Saffron had mentioned anything to Juniper, neither had indicated it to Rhys. Again, he sighed heavily and looked at the floor for a minute. This felt like it would not end until Rhys quit or was fired.

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[juniper minerva mcgonagall]

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She cautiously watched Rhys re-enter the living room, trying to figure out how many glasses deep he already was with the whiskey. He had been up late drinking the night before, and she refused to acknowledge him when he stumbled into bed and woke her up. Doing that for the week after the suspension made sense to her, but not at this point. Drinking wasn't solving any problems and was wasting money, not to mention time that could be spent either looking into new jobs or trying to figure out how to ease her worries. But nope! Another glass for a soon to be fruitless encounter about what got him into this situation.

Juniper had to bite down on her tongue to stop herself from making an incendiary comment about how he caused all of this. Yes, the Stumps were dragging it along and making life miserable. Yes, she would have still been upset if he punched someone else. Rhys was a grown adult and knew better. In school with Bagman was one thing, and he only ever swung back after years of abuse. This was completely different. "Sounds like you'll have your job still," she finally responded. It scared her with how monotone and neutral her voice sounded as it came out. "If they wanted you gone, they would have done it already." Wasting everyone's time just to let him go a month after the incident seemed very unlike Gringotts. Time was money, and money meant everything to them. And Cursebreakers were their best investment they had. Firing one that was fully trained and competent would mean they'd need a replacement. From what she understood about the job, between conversations with Rhys and Saffron, the only time someone was actually replaced was if they were permanently maimed or dead. Rhys was currently neither. As much as she hated to admit it, punching a Ministry official's son probably wasn't viewed as nearly as harshly as stealing from the bank was. They still had a use for him, basically.

"So..." Juniper trailed off as she looked up at him. The arrival of the letter made her feel like she had some power to open up her line of questioning again. "Are you ready to tell me what caused this? Because I have no problem going to Saff about it. I've been holding off because I don't think it's right to hear it from her instead of you...but it's getting ridiculous at this point Rhys." She hated doing this. It was exhausting and her tone showed that. Holding their mutual friend over his head was soft blackmail at best, but Juniper felt like she had a right to know. While everything that happened around his career was up to his discretion, doing something like this without a good answer was causing more waves than ripples. She didn't like the feeling of having important details hidden from her. Where was their mutual trust in that?

rhys alexander greyback ● 492 ● Song by Artist

MADE BY VEL OF GS + ADOX 2.0

[rhys alexander greyback]

and its time we saw a miracle

come on, its time for something biblical

June 11, 2021
juniper minerva mcgonagall

She was right. He still had a job. Though only on paper, it seemed. And so that lost feeling persisted. Juniper brought up a good point, but Rhys was afraid to have hope. Years later and mentally, Rhys regressed to that sad, scrawny boy from school who had no hope or faith in anything. But the goblins weren’t much for interpersonal drama, especially when it got in the way of their gold. Somehow, Stump still has a firm hold on this situation. “Right…” He didn’t look up from the floor but acknowledged that she’d spoken.

The urge to roll his eyes was almost too strong to stop, and Rhys crossed his arms a little tighter as an autonomic defense mechanism. And rightfully so, he thought. Hadn’t they already gone over this? Perhaps he should count himself lucky his memory hadn’t been extracted while sleeping off a bender since Rhys knew messing with memories did not require consent. ”I already told you what happened.” He responded faster than needed but didn’t want to go over it again. ”Stump got in my face, too much whiskey, and he said something I didn’t like.” That was wholly minimizing it. Rehashing it would likely just land Rhys’ fist through a wall at this point.

Though he was surprised, she hadn’t interrogated their mutual good friend or even tracked down Sharp. The boy would’ve folder faster than a house of cards fighting off a breeze. Rhys pinched the bridge of his nose as the side of his head began to throb as a reaction to sitting on his mounting frustration. ”Next time, I’ll stick with your tried and true method of simply ignorning him.” Rhys vividly recalled that piece of that conversation in the hospital wing years ago. If only it were that simple because it was not. And clearly, years later, Juniper still had no idea what it was like for him. What was the point in sharing if she couldn’t listen and leave it be?

Rhys looked at her momentarily, clearly annoyed, but that tiny hint of disbelief sat in his eyes. Wasn’t she supposed to be on his side? Shaking his head slightly, he left the living room and returned to the kitchen. At least he opted for some water this time, though only to prepare for more whiskey in this case. He was tired of being treated like he’d done all this on purpose.

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[juniper minerva mcgonagall]

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"No you didn't," was the first the thought that popped into her head when Rhys started to say he'd already told her what happened. She didn't dare say that aloud though. If things were considered bad right now, that would be like poking a very angry werewolf with a stick whilst wearing a necklace of raw steaks. Rhys didn't need to be drinking more than he already was either. "But what did he say." Juniper really couldn't help herself. She wanted to know. That was the 'why' portion of this entire ordeal. Why did he jump into the fight? If it was comments about werewolves, she was positive that he'd overcome that years ago. And if it had been about his mother, then she was pretty sure he would have told her by now. At that point there were very few things left for him to truly lose it over, and she was smart enough to know that she was right at the top of the list.

The idea that something about her had precipitated this had first come to mind after the third or fourth attempt at trying to pry the information from him the first week he was home. With the way Saffron had been communicating with her, it also sort of made sense. By now, she didn't even care if he was defending her or whatever. The fight was done and over with, and his suspension now seemed to be nearing its end. What irked her was the strange lack of respect of not communicating to her why it all happened. If she was correct and she was the cause of all of this, it wasn't like she was going to fault him for doing what he did. But not telling her was incredibly off putting at this stage in their relationship. They weren't students anymore. They were grown adults.

She rolled her eyes at his next comment. Of course ignoring Stump was smarter. Then he'd still be working and they'd both be happy right now. There were so many better alternatives to this, and all it took was Rhys keeping his cool. His ego wouldn't let him do that though. Once again, she kept her lips tight, watching him walk back into the kitchen to probably get another glass of whiskey. How many bottles was it going to be today? "I know all of that already," she repeated loud and clear from her spot on the couch. "But what you keep failing to do is telling me what he said. Was it even worth all of this?"

rhys alexander greyback ● 431 ● Song by Artist

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[rhys alexander greyback]

and its time we saw a miracle

come on, its time for something biblical

June 11, 2021
juniper minerva mcgonagall

‘Was it even worth all this?’ Rhys was glad he’d left the room. The question made him angry. The result of incredulity but also some part of him knew she was right. Insults were just words, but individuals could all hear the same words and sounds, but what happened internally varied. He didn’t answer as he grabbed a bottle of water, simply leaning against the kitchen counter wearily. This whole experience had left Rhys feeling backed into a corner and alone. Saff always had his back, but just as with Juniper, Rhys could see in their eyes how they disapproved of his actions despite Stump being the instigator of this all. And it wasn’t as if Juniper was forbidden from knowing, but every time that piece of memory floated back into Rhys’ mind, he felt like beating Stump to a bloody pull all over again.

This wasn’t how Rhys wanted it to be. It wasn’t how he wanted to be. Fighting with Juniper was the last thing he wanted and especially when he was struggling so much. But nobody seemed to understand. He opened the water bottle and drank a large amount. His headache hadn’t wavered, which didn’t help his mood. What nobody seemed to want to understand was that the point wasn’t the words. It wasn’t even the tone, the condescension, and all that. Rhys returned to the living room. While he didn’t directly answer her question, he did have something to say. “It. Doesn’t. Matter.” Rhys insisted sharply. It was probably best he’d forgotten about the water bottle in his hand, or he might have thrown it in frustration. “But even with all this…I’d probably do it again.” Rhys admitted.

Because it wasn’t about what was said, it was about what was implied. And whether or not Juniper found it “worthy” of Rhys’ temper wasn’t up to her, he decided. Rhys’ mother never had a choice in any matter regarding Fenrir Greyback. And he’d learned that wasn’t true for all his half-siblings. Not that any of them were planned, but perhaps their introductions to the world included far less violence. Rhys’ mother never had a choice in the matter, and comparing Juniper and Rhys to Charlotte and Fenrir and knowing what he did…well, even the mere idea raised his blood pressure. And all this was only because Stump had connections, or this bar fight would’ve been something of the past, perhaps not even discussed, and Rhys would’ve come home like normal for a happy break home with the person that mattered to him the most. Instead, he was frustrated and angry because it was the easiest emotion to summon in place of how Rhys felt when Juniper looked at him.

Merlin, he felt weary, not because of the late night or hangover, but just everything. Rhys closed his eyes a moment and exhaled heavily. For lack of knowing what to do or lack of anywhere to go in their little flat, Rhys dropped himself onto the couch and leaned his head back, eyes closing for a moment. He just wanted to know his job was safe without these restrictions, and he wanted to go back to work. Rhys didn’t know what else to do besides that.

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What the fuck was he being indignant about? All of this was his doing, and doubling down only gave her an instant headache again. They had spared each other of this for a week, though calling it a peaceful week was far from the truth. Turning this into a war of attrition apparently wasn't going to work either. Juniper knew she could whittle him down if she really wanted to take an aggressive approach. Doing so would leave a bad taste in her mouth though. Which was sort of the issue wasn't it? There were several paths she could take here: drop it and let it fester for months where it would come to the forefront of every disagreement or argument going forward, force Rhys to tell her, or ask Saffron or whatshisname that had started to hang out with the two of them recently. Dragging her friend into their dispute would be beyond petty, but she felt like she was owed an answer. Because clearly it did matter. Especially if it was something he'd risk his career over again.

Rhys had disappeared into the kitchen again briefly before returning with a bottle of water. At least he was slowing down on the liquor for the moment. She stayed where she was on the couch as he took a seat next to her, and she contemplated momentarily to poke the issue again. With the his head back and probably unable to see what she was doing, she grabbed her phone and quickly typed out a text to Saff, He's still refusing to tell me. What caused it?". She didn't care at this point. It had been three weeks and he more than likely had his job back. If he just told her whatever he was holding back, they could put it behind them and carry on like it never happened. A blip in their relationship.

rhys alexander greyback ● 315 ● Song by Artist

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[rhys alexander greyback]

and its time we saw a miracle

come on, its time for something biblical

June 11, 2021
juniper minerva mcgonagall

Rhys hadn’t considered updating their small flat until recently. He wasn’t home enough to think about it often enough. This may have been home, and he wouldn’t change that, but when one was persistently chased and questioned on a topic they didn’t want to discuss, it began to feel claustrophobic. And these days, Rhys wouldn’t put it past her to relegate him to a spare room until he talked. These things he could have talked himself out of at sixteen or seventeen, but they weren’t those kids anymore. Rhys opened his eyes but stared at the ceiling, trying to find a way out of this circular conversation.

There wasn’t even a good transition at this point. Lifting his head up, Rhys spoke again, though calmly. ”How was work?” If they could talk about literally anything else, that would be ideal. Plus, there had to be something interesting going on in the Department of Magical Education since the school year had just wrapped up. Over the years, Rhys had become more conscious about things like asking about someone’s day or anything that didn’t involve him. The simple perks when close friends were of the opposite gender because it wasn’t as if anyone ever told him these things.

His issue was getting out of his head as he spent far too much time spiraling in there to notice other things. And especially these days with the prospect of losing his job with no backup plan. It wasn’t even about the money in that regard, but this was his life. Losing his career might as well have been the end of the world, why couldn’t people understand that?

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Now she sort of felt bad for sending the text, because Rhys clearly wanted to move on. This was such a horrid debacle. The constant war inside her brain to keep at it until he relented (and irreparably damaged their relationship) or give up and let it slide was a tough one. The guilt of bringing it back up over and over again was definitely real, because it was obvious he didn’t want to tell. And now they would do the thing where they pretended that it never happened. She’d done the same the year prior when having second thoughts about his choice of career, letting the proverbial cauldron bubble over until it wasn’t unnoticeable any longer. Rhys knew she was upset about this though. She had done an excellent job at interrogation those first few days. Maybe even Auror worthy. The only problem with that was that she only knew how to play bad cop. So that was why they were in this position know,

As for work? “Fine,” Juniper responded flatly. “The exams won’t grade themselves.” Except they sort of did, in a way. Her department was there to make sure their own in-house charms worked correctly and the anti-cheat spells functioned as they were intended. She didn’t dare tell him about the wizards that had been lurking about. If they were Stump cronies, antagonizing them would only harm Rhys’s chances of getting back to work and put her job in jeopardy as well. Plus there was no telling what Rhys would do if he knew. Would he fly off the handle again? Hunt down Stump?

She nearly jumped off the couch when her phone dinged as a new text came through, forgetting that less than a minute earlier she’d sent one out to Saff. Her ringer was never left on whilst at home, the sound basically foreign to her except when it came through on her headphones when she was out and about. Hand quickly shooting out to grab her phone, she could already tell it was a short response from the lock screen preview. It was only one word: “You.” Juniper felt her jaw clench immediately. Of course it was. That had been one of her theories. But it came across different now that she actually knew. ”So I matter enough to risk your job but not be told that it was because of me? That makes a lot of sense,” she questioned, handing her now unlocked phone to Rhys so he could see the exchange. The sound of another message coming through as she did so completely missed her.

rhys alexander greyback ● 434 ● Song by Artist

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[rhys alexander greyback]

and its time we saw a miracle

come on, its time for something biblical

June 11, 2021
juniper minerva mcgonagall

So much for switching topics. Rhys asked Juniper about her work and received a stiff reply. He leaned his head back on the couch since it helped his headache. It wasn’t unexpected, and he tried to bring up something unrelated to his work instead. Juniper’s phone, however, broke up the brief silence. Apparently, it caught them both off guard, but then they re-entered the cycle, and Rhys fell back into a defensive state. ’Here we go.’ Rhys thought to himself, and he gave her a weary look before taking the phone. Switching it to his other hand, Rhys read the tail end of a chat between Juniper and Saffron.

The screen indicated that Saffron was typing a message which came through about a second later. Only Merlin knew how their friend managed such long back-to-back messages so quickly on a small device. Rhys’ blue eyes skimmed the contents, and he scoffed when getting to the end. ”Hm…almost a direct quote.” He didn’t look at Juniper. His eyes stuck to that last message which was the last thing Rhys also remembered before getting revived from a stunning spell. Looking at the words made him feel just as angry as that night.

There were certain things—certain facts of Rhys’ life that Juniper was privy to where she was likely the only person to know. There wasn’t any doubt in Rhys’ mind that she’d understand the severity of Stump’s words. To repeat them was risking Rhys flying into a rage again, although he was sober compared to the night of the incident. Arguably there wasn’t a lot of logic at play, in which case the best option was to merely move on in Rhys’ mind. Without looking at her, Rhys handed Juniper her phone back before he could no longer stop the urge to launch it across the room.

There was much he was angry about, most of all the gremlin known as Stump. ”Looks like you don’t need me. Saff’s done a brilliant roundup of all the highlights there.” He stood up, pausing a split second before returning to the kitchen again. The water bottle remained on the couch, forgotten. Fuck this headache. He didn’t care how hungover he’d be tomorrow at this rate anymore. ”I’m sorry I didn’t want to repeat that.” Rhys grumbled before leaving the room. In the kitchen, he leaned against the kitchen counter, his palms sitting on the edges. At this rate, he might have broken a glass by squeezing it too hard as he retrieved it from the cabinet, so he needed a moment.

Didn’t she get it? Rhys wondered to himself. Almost five years together and Rhys sharing what lay behind every nook and cranny—she should’ve just known to leave it be. And to question him as such—of course, she mattered. Juniper was everything, hence the lack of hesitation on Rhys’ part to respond as he had and decided that he’d do it all over again. But if Rhys lost his career, he felt he’d lose himself. That was something built from the ground up with intention and all he knew how to. What the hell did he do if all that was gone? Rhys felt worked up enough to risk breaking that glass as he poured himself another large whiskey. Would Juniper have something to say about it? Probably, but he’d already been acting as the world’s worst boyfriend, so what did it matter.

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That was fucking stupid. She instantly regretted sending the message and handing the phone over to him. Too bad all of the time turners had been destroyed years ago, because she absolutely could have used one right about now. The way he looked at her told her that she messed up big time, too much of a busy-body to let it go for both of their own good. The second text that came through was longer, and she read it over twice, as fast as possible. Another thing to add onto her growing pile of regrets. With Rhys confirming that it was exactly how he remembered it going down, she could feel her chest tighten.

Staring down at her phone, she felt him get up from the couch again, clearly angry that it had finally been put out in the open. She couldn’t bring herself to look at him, because what was on the text was about as horrible as it could have been and she knew she screwed up here. But he could have at least told her the bare minimum to get her off his back instead of letting it get to this point. Not that she was trying to place the blame on him…but he had to have known that she was either going to push it to the limit or ask Saffron.

Not sending a response back to her friend, she placed her phone face down on the coffee table and closed her eyes, rubbing at her temples to try and figure out her next step. This was exactly how she knew it would happen and still went through with it anyways. If this ruined everything, she only had herself to blame for it. While Rhys should have known better than to allow someone to get under his skin, she now saw exactly why it happened the way it did.

To stay where she was or follow him into the kitchen. She heard the telltale sound of the bottle of whiskey and a glass clinking on the counter. If she went in there, was he going to think it was another attempt at berating him? The last thing she wanted to do now was trap him while he was already pissed at her.

Standing up, she slowly walked towards the kitchen. The decision had been made and she felt that she needed to fix it right now, otherwise this was going to be nagging both of them for who knows how long. Luckily it hadn’t turned into a volcanic eruption of a fight, but they’d been together long enough that she knew nipping it now instead of letting it fester longer was what had to be done. Which, if she wanted to be completely honest here, it had been building up for the last three weeks even if neither of them wanted to admit it.

Like she had guessed, he had another glass of whiskey. She kept her lips tight, knowing that fighting him over the amount he’d been drinking lately wasn’t worth it. While she disliked this repeated behavior, there were worse things out there. “I should have listened to you and let it go…and I also shouldn’t have gone behind your back and asked Saff about it. That wasn’t right, and I let my frustration take over because I’ve been worried about how you’ve been handling it,” she admitted, her arms crossed in front of her sheepishly. She probably could have posed her questioning like that from the beginning and taken a more compassionate approach, but never did. Always making it accusatory or like it was his fault to begin with, when it clearly wasn’t. Juniper had no reason to claim that he was being untrustworthy when she couldn’t even trust him. It always turned out that way with everything that had to do with cursebreaking. “I’m sorry.”

rhys alexander greyback ● 644 ● Song by Artist

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[rhys alexander greyback]

and its time we saw a miracle

come on, its time for something biblical

June 11, 2021
juniper minerva mcgonagall

Rhys could hear Juniper get off the couch and walk to the kitchen. But her pace and approach were calm and steady compared to her entire approach to this ordeal. He didn’t look, throwing back the whiskey and setting the glass down. Rhys leaned on the counter with his palms on the edge, letting his posture droop as he waited for the whiskey to work its magic and help him calm down. The words that had continually run in his head now flashed before his eyes, even with them closed. Saffron just had to tell her. For that second, he regretted ever introducing them. Then, perhaps Saff might be on Rhys’s side for once. But like many other things in his life, he knew what was done was done.

At least the only risk that day was Rhys perhaps throwing something. That night, he reacted to words but also a consistent stream of poking and prodding over a few hours. Aside from this instance, Rhys didn’t fly off the handle like that as often or as he used to as a teenager. This was the calmest Juniper had spoken to him in weeks, an apology included. Fifteen minutes ago, this was what he wanted, but it didn’t help him feel any better now that he had it. Maybe it did something for them, but it did nothing for his career and that part of his life. Standing up straight, Rhys ran a hand over his face while exhaling heavily. Finally turning around, he leaned against the counter again and crossed his arms. His anger still radiated through him, Stump might have been after Rhys’ job, but he was starting to affect the greater scope of his life.

“How I’ve been handling it?” That had stuck in Rhys’s mind from what she’d said. Even Rhys could extrapolate what she meant, but his patience had left the building for now. His voice was surprisingly even but not calm. Opening his mouth to speak, Rhys closed it. All these words were rushing to come out, but they’d all gotten stuck at the exit. “I wish you would give me some credit.” Rhys began, staring more at the fridge off to the side for now before looking back at her. He felt worn down. Not even twenty-one, and Rhys was so damn tired of constantly existing with some “kick me” sign on his back. “All I can think about is how I will wake up tomorrow, and I won’t have my job.” That thought made his throat feel tight with anxiety because he was very aware of what the consequences were and could be for his actions, and yet everybody kept talking to him as if he were still in primary school.

“I know what I did. Add it to the list of all the other things I can’t seem to get right.” Rhys declared sharply, just in case it wasn’t abundantly clear where his mind was and why his frustration only seemed to grow. Even now, Rhys could still picture his shredded hands despite everything healing nicely. Rhys paused for a moment. It was like his body knew how agitated he was before his brain did. There it was, that constant urge to fidget or move around. “Juni—you know I love you, and you matter more to me than anything. I just wish you had my back on this.” That isolated feeling that lingered but Rhys had managed to stave off crept through.

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[juniper minerva mcgonagall]

▲

It's just a job. Was what Juniper wanted to say in response to his continuous frustration with her. As if that would make things better. She knew adding fuel to that would end up with a wildfire type situation where they'd both regret everything they said. Merlin, she already did on most of what had been 'talked' about. But still, a job was a job and he could always find something else. Coming out of cursebreaking unscathed was far more important in her opinion. Yes, she agreed that what he was currently going through was bullshit and taking longer than it should due to political pressure. There was no denying that. She also doubted that he'd actually lose it, especially now that he'd received today's letter. It didn't scream 'you're fired!' to her at all.

"I want to have your back on this, but you haven't exactly been communicating the entire situation to me at all," she finally stated flatly. Her arms tightened around her as she stared up at him. The lack of communication had frustrated her beyond belief. How was she supposed to know that their relationship had precipitated this without being told? And if not by Rhys, when was Saff ever going to tell her? There was no reason this should have gone unsaid until now. The last thing Juniper wanted to do was feel like she was his mother, trying to wring the information out of him. Except that was exactly what it felt like to her, and Rhys clearly didn't like the prodding that she did. "So what do you want me to do going forward? I can try and pretend everything is fine, if that's what you want. Or I can talk shit about the bank if that's what you'd rather have me do. But right now it looks like you're hiding and drinking it away. I know it's stressful and I know you're worried about your job...and now I know why it happened, but you need to tell me these things. I'm not a clairvoyant," Juniper continued, trying to remain calm and not be accusatory with her words.

She reached out to hold his hand as she spoke. Hopefully there was some reassurance in that. With the way things had been lately, she definitely felt that they'd physically pulled away from one another a bit. Not that it was either of their faults. Stress had a habit of doing that. "If you want me to back off about it, I will," she relented, finally. Now that she seemingly knew everything concerning the incident, she didn't really need to keep hammering him with questions. She hated that it had gotten to this point, but the only option seemed to be the silent self-destruction of both of them. How was that healthy?

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